Brock McLean is drawing on experience he could have done without when he offers sage advice about Melbourne team-mate Colin Sylvia.

Last week, the Demons suspended Sylvia from Saturday's AFL practice match against the Western Bulldogs for breaking a curfew.

Around this time last year, McLean was on the way out of the leadership group after a couple of his own off-field indiscretions.

But he is back among the leaders and says the answer for Sylvia is simple - knuckle down, play good football and make smarter decisions off the field.

"The best thing for Col is to let his footy do the talking ... we know he can play footy really well," McLean said.

"It was just a few little things that build up over time - these days the scrutiny off field is probably worse than what it is on field.

"You've got to make smart decisions, especially off-field.

"The best thing for the footy club is that Col is up and going, week-in, week-out, he's an important member of our side."

McLean had put his woes behind him and was among the Demons' better players last year when an ankle injury in round 14 ended his season.

Having come through the summer, the 23-year-old wants a season unaffected by injury.

"It's just good to be back playing, the first couple of weeks I felt a bit lost out there and it felt like I didn't know what I was doing," he said.

"But it's good to be playing footy again, the ankle feels great, the body feels great and hopefully, touch wood, no injuries this year and I can get a full 22 games in."

Team-mates Daniel Bell, Aaron Davey and Ricky Petterd were injured in the loss to the Bulldogs.

While Davey (heel) and Petterd (hip) should be available for round one, Bell has broken a thumb.

The Demons will have a better idea in the next couple of days how long Bell will be out of action.

Meanwhile, Melbourne have appointed club legend Ron Barassi as their No.1 ticket holder for the next two years.

Barassi replaces former Melbourne Lord Mayor John So in the honorary role.

An official AFL legend, Barassi played in six Melbourne premiership teams in his 204 games for the club from 1953-64.

He captained the side from 1960-64 and was named captain of Melbourne's team of the century.

Barassi, one of the game's most revered figures, also coached the Demons from 1981-85.

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